• Enagás and Naturgy will jointly promote the production of green hydrogen in La Robla. The project, which is part of the Green Crane initiative promoted by Enagás, has previously been presented as a nominee for a project of common European interest (IPCEI) and a project for the Just Transition in Castilla y León.
• The involvement of Naturgy doubles the photovoltaic generation capacity initially envisaged in the project, which will be able to produce up to approximately 9,000 tonnes of renewable hydrogen per year from a 400 MW photovoltaic plant and an electrolyser of up to 60 MW, making it the largest plant for the production of green hydrogen in Spain.
• The companies will develop this facility in La Robla, in the area surrounding the thermal power plant that Naturgy closed down last summer.
• Both companies thus show their strong commitment to the energy transition and to the mining regions in the framework of the just transition after the closure of coal plants.
Enagás and Naturgy will work together to promote Spain's largest hydrogen plant in León, with the aim of producing up to approximately 9,000 tonnes of renewable hydrogen per year, from a 400 MW photovoltaic plant and an electrolyser of up to 60 MW, to cover local consumption, gas network injection and to enable future export to north-western Europe.
The project, which has been submitted as part of the application for projects of common European interest (IPCEI), will make it possible to reduce CO2 emissions, as it is based on the production and use of green hydrogen, and will therefore encourage greater assimilation of renewable energies into sectors that are difficult to electrify. The use of hydrogen instead of other fuels in the different final demand uses also contributes to reducing emissions of Greenhouse Gases and other pollutants (NOx, SOx, etc.).
Specifically, this new plant will be located in La Robla, in the area surrounding the thermal power plant that Naturgy closed down last summer in line with its commitment to achieving a more sustainable energy mix. With the development of this hydrogen plant, both companies once again demonstrate their commitment to the energy transition and to the mining regions within the framework of the just transition after the closure of coal plants.
Hydrogen development
Naturgy has been researching the development of hydrogen for years, as the renewable resource, the existing infrastructure and our geostrategic position mean that Spain has the full potential to become an exporter of hydrogen in the future. This is because the export of this new energy can be carried out through the current gas infrastructure, which would allow the electricity and gas grids to be integrated, creating a more efficient and resilient energy system.
Similarly, hydrogen can be transported over long distances in liquid form, as is the case with LNG. In a context in which there is a worldwide commercialisation of hydrogen, this type of transport and distribution can be key, and both Enagás and Naturgy are essential players who can provide their capacity and global knowledge throughout the value chain.
For Enagás, this project is part of its strategy to develop non-electric renewable energies, such as green hydrogen and biogas/biomethane, as new energy solutions that will play a fundamental role in the energy transition process marked by the European Union.
Enagás is the main natural gas transmission company and Technical Manager of the Spanish gas system and its strategy is to develop and facilitate export routes and key projects in this context to position our country as a benchmark in this sector.
